Transcript Persuasion - Hogeschool van Amsterdam

The role of persuasion (overtuiging)
in effective use of media
Hoorcollege - Using Media blok 1 week 1
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Agenda
 Learning goals
 About these hoorcolleges
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A simple model of human cognition (cognitie)
Week 1 t/m 5
Week 6 t/m 8
The course structure
 What is persuasion?
 The goals of persuasion
 A communication model of persuasion
 Summary
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Learning goals
 By the end of this hoorcollege you should:
 Be able to define persuasion
 Understand the difference between persuasion, force,
manipulation (manipulatie), coercion (dwang) and
propaganda
 Know some of the ethical issues regarding persuasion
 Be aware of the goals of persuasion
 Be in a position to use the communications model of
persuasion to develop your own persuasive messages
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About these hoorcolleges
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Aims
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These hoorcolleges aim to support you in your use
of media by:
1. Allowing you to see the goal of much what you will do
when using media
2. Helping you to understand how the human cognitive
system works
3. Suggesting how you might use this knowledge to make
your use of media more effective
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A simple model of human cognition
The first 5 hoorcolleges will be based on this model
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Week 1 t/m 5
Week 4
Week 3
Gastcollege
(tentative)
Week 5
Week 2
Week 1
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Week 6 t/m 8
 The remainder of the hoorcolleges will be
gastcolleges
 The aim is to give you some insight into how practicing
professionals use media
 Please turn up to these!
 These are being arranged currently
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The course structure
 Be aware that this course was developed before we
knew who would be giving the work groups
 As a result the structure of the course may be different from
the weekly breakdown in the manual
 However, the assignments and the goals of the
course remain the same
 There will be no tentamen!
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What is persuasion?
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Why do we use media?
entertain
educate
tell the truth
support the status quo
change things
persuade
question
distract
to lie
inform
change opinions
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A definition of persuasion
“Persuasion is the process of trying to “move” one or
more people - by using credible [geloofwaardig]
information, evidence [bewijsmateriaal], reasoning
[het redeneren] and emotional appeals - to a new or
changed belief, attitude, value, or behaviour.”
(Rogers, W. (2007), Persuasion: Messages, Receivers and Contexts, Lanham, MD: Rowman
& Littlefield Publishers, Inc, p. 5)
Persuasion is about trying to change behaviour
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Persuasion and other ways of
changing behaviour
 Persuasion can be compared to other ways of changing
behaviour:
 Force
 I get you to change your behaviour by holding a gun to your head
 Manipulation
 I get you to change your behaviour by threatening suicide
 Coercion
 I get you to change your behaviour through blackmail (chantage)
 The key to persuasion is that the receiver(s) feels that they
have been treated with respect and have not been deceived
 Persuasion uses reasonable arguments that are proportional
(evenredig) and considerate of the receiver(s) and other
stakeholders’ positions
 Persuasion can use emotional appeals, but these should be
proportional
 Persuasion treats receivers as ends in themselves not as means
to an end
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Persuasion and propaganda
 Persuasion can also be compared to propaganda
 Propaganda is perhaps a form of persuasion, but it does not
respect the receiver(s) or other stakeholders
 Both may be deceived or treated as a mean to an end
 Typical tactics of propaganda include:
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Using negative stereotypes
Spreading negative rumours unsupported with evidence
Telling only part of the story
Lying
Spreading fear
 Persuasion does not use such tactics
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The ethics of persuasion
 German philosopher Immanuel Kant suggested that
to act ethically we should only do things that we
could will to become a universal law of nature
(Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals)
 This suggests the English expression ‘do unto others as
you would have done to yourself’
 A rule of thumb might be then: if you, yourself, would
not be happy to be persuaded in the way you are
trying to persuade another, then you should not use
such tactics
 To do so would be to risk using force, manipulation,
coercion or propaganda
 BTW there are other ways of thinking about this!
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Persuasion and using media
 It is my argument that as IAM professionals most of
your work when using media will be to persuade
your receiver(s)
 The ultimate goal of this persuasion will be to get
them to change their behaviour in some way
 How then does persuasion work?
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The goals of persuasion
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What does persuasion aim at?
 I have suggested that persuasion aims at getting the
receiver(s) to change their behaviour (gedrag)
 Behaviour is influenced by the combination of three
things:
 Beliefs (geloven)
 Attitudes (houdingen)
 Values (waarden)
 In order to change behaviour we need to understand
these things
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Beliefs, attitudes and values
 Beliefs are views we have that certain things are true or that
certain things exists
 We believe that and we believe in
 I believe that water boils at 100o Celsius at sea-level, but I might
believe in God
 Attitudes are dispositions (regelingen) we have about things
we encounter (they are a sort of vooroordeel)
 They are perhaps beliefs that help us act and judge in daily life
 I think it is wrong: to steal; okay to lend money to a friend; sad to
see someone homeless
 Values are our judgements about what is important in life
 If you could only carry 3 items from a burning building, the 3 you
choose would be the ones you value the most
 We have instrumental values that may change in as our life
changes and terminal (eind) values that tend to last throughout
our lives
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Persuasion, beliefs, attitudes and
values
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Persuasion aims at changing behaviour: beliefs, attitudes and values
shape our behaviour
 We need to understand how we can use this to help us achieve our goal
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Beliefs are most open to change
 Belief that is the easiest to change, through proof, new facts, strong
arguments
 Although you could not get me to change my belief that the sun rises in the east
 Belief in is harder to change, but religious conversion suggests that this is
possible
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Attitudes are connected to our beliefs and so by changing beliefs we
may be able to change attitudes (and perhaps andersom!)
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Values are the most resistant to change, but by understanding what a
person values we can change behaviour, by connecting the change to
their values
 If you value money, I might suggest that doing a HBO will allow you to
earn more money in the future
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Persuasion and changing behaviour
 In order to change behaviour we must understand
the receiver’s beliefs, attitudes and values
 We use this to make a case that:
 Aims to change beliefs through logical arguments that use
facts, figures and reason
 Changing beliefs might help change attitudes, but we can
also use emotional arguments and alternative views to help
change them too (interestingly changing attitudes can also
help change beliefs)
 We can use our understanding of a receiver’s values to
connect the changed behaviour with something they value
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Aristotle’s model of persuasion
Proof that the persuader is
• Credible
• Honest
• Acting from good will
• Competent
Emotional arguments to persuade
• Aimed at encouraging a favourable
attitude in the receiver
Enthymeme
• Leaving come of the message
unsaid
• Allowing the receiver to draw their
own conclusions using their
values and knowledge of what is
good
• Hinting, but not saying
• E.g. “Amsterdam: city of
gezelligheid”
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Rational arguments to persuade
• Facts
• Figures
• Logical proof
• Alternative views
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A communication model of
persuasion
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A communication model of
persuasion
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Summary
 Persuasion is one of the main reasons you will use media in
your role as IAM professionals
 Persuasion aims at changing behaviour in an ethical way
(unlike force, manipulation, coercion and propaganda)
 This is achieved through argument that uses an understanding
of the beliefs, attitudes and values of the receiver (the target
group)
 You can use Aristotle’s model of persuasion to help you
construct your persuasive arguments
 The communications model of persuasion can be used to
ensure you understand how the receiver deals with your
messages
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